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Government, citizens and rights

Internet, mail order and telephone shopping

You have certain rights when you buy something online or by mail order, phone or television. Find out how these rights protect you if there’s a problem with your order or you want to cancel because you’ve changed your mind.

When the cooling-off period starts

The seven working day cooling-off period usually starts on the day after you receive the goods.

But the trader has to tell you in writing:

your right to a cooling off period

how to cancel your order

who is responsible for returning goods

who has to pay the cost of returning goods if you cancel in the cooling-off period

information about any after-sales service

the address to use for complaints

If you don’t get this information, your cooling-off period extends up to a maximum of three months and seven working days. For example if the trader takes one month to tell you in writing, you get a cooling-off period of one month and seven working days.

If the wrong item is delivered or it’s faulty

If you've been sent the wrong item or the item is faulty, you can return it and ask for your money back. In these cases the seller must cover the cost of returning the items.

Buying from overseas

Sellers can be based anywhere in the world – even if a website has a UK web address ending ‘.co.uk’. If the seller is based outside of the EU, check the terms and conditions of the contract to see which country's law applies.

Follow the link below to find out who to complain to if things go wrong when buying abroad.

Buying safely

There are scam websites that offer items for sale to get your money and personal details like your credit card number. Other scams include salespeople selling items at inflated prices or products that aren’t delivered. Follow the links below to find out how to protect yourself from scams.

If you need to make a complaint

Get advice from Consumer Direct

If you need to complain about something you’ve bought, always go back to the seller first, eg the website or TV channel.

If you don’t hear back from the seller or don’t agree with their response, you should make a complaint in writing.

If you’ve paid using credit (eg a credit card), you can also complain to the finance company (see link below).

If you’ve paid using Visa, Mastercard or Maestro, you may be able to complain to their ‘chargeback’ scheme. This will cover you if there’s a problem with the goods or the seller has stopped trading. You will need to contact the card company to make a claim.

If you bought the item from a national newspaper, you can complain to the Safe Home Ordering Protection scheme.

You can get advice on disputes from Consumer Direct, the government funded consumer advice service.

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